I am so excited!!!! I have been learning about biodiesel, the fuel of tomorrow. Well, actually it is the fuel of yesterday. What we call biodiesel should just be called diesel, since it was the fuel that Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on. What we call diesel should be called petro-diesel. Biodiesel can be made from all sorts of things. It can be made from inedible plants, from very abundant plants like seaweed, it can even be made from your leftovers. Yes, all organic oils can be used to make biodiesel.

So, what is biodiesel? It Is a fuel made from natural oils such as vegetable oil or animal fat. What is great is that any vehicle that runs on diesel will run on biodiesel with no modifications. But aren’t diesels slow? This used to be true, but not anymore. They now make cars with diesel engines just as fast as gasoline powered cars. Diesel engines are also more fuel-efficient.

The trucks, trains and, ships that transport cargo all run on diesel. So, even if these vehicles switched to biodiesel, it would cut pollution down a lot. Well, what if I don’t care about pollution or the environment? You still would benefit from switching to biodiesel, unless you like paying almost 5 dollars for a gallon of gasoline. We would no longer dependent on foreign oil. This means that there would be fewer wars over oil, and would also help decrease out national debt because we could provide our own fuel. There are just so many benefits to biodiesel.

But if biodiesel is made from Vegetable oil , won’t it cause food shortages, and bring up the price of food? No, that is the beauty of biodiesel, It can be made from used cooking oil from restaurants, and the oil doesn’t have to be vegetable oil or animal fat, it can be made from any organic oils.

One argument that the Oil companies make is that there is no money in biofuels. This is so not true. My cousins husband works for a company that processes Used cooking oil into biodiesel and they have money up the wazoo. Maybe that’s the problem. The oil companies don’t like the Idea of losing their monopoly on fuel, so they spread all this disinformation. Biodiesel is clean, safe and economical. Biodiesel is the future.

On the website for the American Policy Round Table there was an article called 8 arguments against global warming. This information was supplied by the Heartland Institute. Before we delve into the contents of that article, let’s examine what the Heartland institute is. It claims to be a Non-profit research and education organization. Yet, what they really are is a corporate funded media lobbyist group. Some of their Biggest contributors have been Exxon, Wal-Mart and Philip Morris. So you coul imagine the credibility of an organization that is funded by corporate money.

So let us now turn our attention to the 8 Arguments against global warming:

1) Most Scientists do not think human activity is responsible for global warming and there is no convincing evidence.

this is false. They refer to the Oregon petition as proof of their statement. As is turns out the Oregon petition is a Fabrication. So there goes that argument.

2) The most reliable sources say there is no data that shows a trend in warming.

False. NASA says there is a definite trend in warming according to satellite data. I guess they don’t consider NASA a reliable source. But the oil companies are? I guess NASA is a part of this sinister global conspiracy.

False. Although models of the 1990s were rather crude, current models are rather complex. As far as the Question of their acuracy, they are not a magic window into the future. there is no crystal ball.

The accusations of the scientists cheating, there is no evidence to support such a claim. I am curious who there sources(Exxon) are. This argument sounds like more conspiracy theory.

4) IPCC did not prove that human activities are causing global warming.

Yes they have.

5)A modest amount of global warming is good for the environment and beneficial to the natural world.

False- First of all I don’t even know what they consider modest. If the global temperature rises 5 degrees we are toast. Even a 1 or 2 degree rise in global temperature could have serious ramifications. Remember we are talking about global temperature, not regional temperatures.

6) Efforts to reduce green house gasses would be costly and wouldn’t stop the climate from changing.

You have got to be kidding. It would be costly? I think the Fortune 500 companies that are polluting the most can afford it.

The claim that we can’t do anything about it is just irresponsible. Is is saying”well, we probably can’t stop the climate from changing,so lets just pollute till our heart’s content”.

7) Efforts by state governments to reduce emissions would be expensive and would bust state budgets.

this falls under the nobody knows for sure category. Yes, the measures would be expensive. But to say that they know for sure that it will bust state budgets is a rash statement. Apparently the Heartland Institute can see into the future.

8) The best strategy to pursue is “no regrets”. Make no drastic changes. Invest in atmospheric research. Investments should only be made if they are economically viable.

So not true. This one needs no commentary.

Well there we have it. Notice how the arguments contradict one another . They keep shifting from it isn’t real, to humans don’t cause it, to its a good thing,to noting can be done about it. I think the credibility of the Heartland Institute has gone down the toilet.

by Christopher Jay Thompson

There are all these idiots out there that deny climate change and Civilization’s effect on the environment all together. We live in a society that dumps chemicals and garbage on the ground and in the ocean,and has factories and vehicles that spew toxic smoke into the air. We uproot entire forests for lumber, paper , and to make room for more cities to add to the pollution.

This is Sanbernardino on an average day. Isn't it pretty?

How can a logical person think that this has no effect on the environment. I guess that’s the point, they aren’t logical. I grew up in San Bernardino county in southern California, which is victim to both air and water pollution(and extreme levels of poverty and crime). If any one has seen the movie Erin Brockovich, the town she was representing was in San Bernardino county.

San Bernardino county(or the great western smog bowl as I call it.) is a valley completely surrounded by mountains. All the smog from L.A. and Sandiego Blows into the valley and stays there. The sky is literally brown. Children have died of lung cancer from just breathing the air.To think that this poison has no effect on the environment is not just stupid, it is Irresponsible.

Let’s get to the root of climate change denial, wich is greedy corporations. They deny climate change because they are of regulations that would require them to buy expensive equipment to limit factory admissions.Talk about cheap. We have really got to wake up to reality, we are killing ourselves off.Climate change is real, and we must do something before it is too late.